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According to the new data of the European defense organization (EDA), the expenses between the EU countries reached a new report of 343 billion euros.
Member states increased their investments in this sector by 19% from 2023 to 2024.
The largest share of the budget concerns military materials, about 88 billion euros, increased by 39% compared to the previous year.
Research and development expenses (R&D) increased by 20% to 13 billion euros in defense.
The annual value for each EU citizen is currently estimated at 764 euros.
What EU members reach 3.5%of NATO?
The data show that Poland sharply increased its protective investments to almost 3.8% of its GDP, which is more than any other EU member state.
Estonia and Latvia follow 3.3% each, and Lithuania – 3.1%.
On the other end of the scale, Ireland spent only 0.2% of its GDP defense.
In absolute numbers, however, Germany paid the highest expenses: about 90 billion euros (2.1%of GDP), followed by France with almost 60 billion euros (2%) and Italy with about 33 billion euros (1.5%).
All EU member states increased their military budget in 2024, with the exception of Ireland, where it fell to 1.2 billion euros, and Portugal, where it was reduced to 4.1 billion euros.
How to compare EU forces with the USA, Russia and China?
The European defense organization also compared the EU forces with the US forces.
In 2024, Washington invested 845 billion euros (3.1% of GDP) in defense, which almost three times higher than 343 billion euros.
Although the EU countries together have more military tanks, artillery systems and infantry vehicles, their capabilities are fragmented in various operating systems, notes in the report, which makes them less effective than they.
On the contrary, Russia (107 billion euros) and China (250 billion euros) spend less on an absolute number than on the EU, but the European defense organization warns that they are likely to reach higher relations with economic efficiency due to lower domestic prices, integrated planning and lower planning.
Both Russia and China have also increased its defensive budgets at a faster pace than the EU over the past two decades.
The European defense organization says that there is no effective deterrence without cooperation.
According to the European defense organization, 381 billion euros in 2025 can reach the EU, “increasing the expenses of the EU to 2.1% of GDP and for the first time exceeding 2% of the leadership”.
An increase in expenses from 2% to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 will require an additional 254 billion euros, while the total defense costs amount to about 635 billion euros, the agency said.
The initiative of the European Commission “Retibility 2030” plans to create an additional budget space over the next four years to 800 billion euros for further strengthening the cost of defense.
But the European defense organization emphasizes that they will not have enough money on their own: they will need more employees to cope with the “lack” and guarantee that there are sufficiently trained soldiers to process advanced equipment.
First of all, the agency calls on the state -member states to strengthen their cooperation – both more effectively spending, and guarantee that their forces work better with each other, using compatible systems and equipment.